Series: The Duel #1
Author: Mary Lancaster
Published March 10th 2023 by Dragonblade Publishing
Goodreads Synopsis
A deadly quarrel, an impossible love
On his way to rejoin Wellington’s gathering army near Brussels, Major Giles Butler fights a duel with the opinionated Duke of Cuttyngham. It was never meant to be a killing affair, and yet the duke lies dead at his feet. Determined to contribute to the final victory over Napoleon before standing trial, Butler bolts for the coast. En route, he unwittingly aids the lovely young Duchess of Cuttyngham to escape her gilded cage.
Desperate to live a useful life, Rosamund has left her husband’s cold and stifling house with the intention of becoming a village herbalist. She no longer believes in love or romance, especially not for herself, and yet by the time she learns of her husband’s death – and the identity of his killer – she is already falling in love.
Hopelessly entangled with each other, family machinations, officers of the law, and an unusual pair of eloping young lovers – to say nothing of Bonaparte’s threat to the peace of Europe – Giles and Rosamund finally arrive in Brussels. But can they defy scandal and the law to be together?
After all, how can a widow love the duellist who shot her husband?
Goodreads
Review
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.
When he overhears a spoiled toff disparage his commander, Major Giles Butler can't let it slide, and fights a duel with the Duke of Cuttyngham. Never intending to harm the duke, let alone kill him, when he collapses dead at his feet, Giles needs to flee for the coast as soon as possible, and return to the 'safety' of Brussels, and his men. Fraught with guilt, he can't leave without passing on his condolences to the now dowager Duchess, and just manages to be her saviour when she attempts to flee the prison that once was her home. Rosamund, Duchess of Cuttyngham, has lived a life of hell under the control of her husband. She has never been able to do anything, let alone think for herself, and her cruel husband even turned her step children away from her. Meeting Giles is the first time Rosamund has felt anything other than pain in years, but can she truly love the man who made her a widow?
This book was alright, and I liked the chemistry between the FMC and MMC. I'm going to be honest in saying I wasn't sure how a widow could fall in love with her husband's killer, but there's a lot more to the story than what you see on paper. There's a full on mystery woven into the pages of the book, and Entangled has definitely set the stage for the rest of the series. Rosamund was a lovely FMC, and her relationship with her stepchildren was a plot line I really enjoyed, and hope is explored more in their own tales. The villain of this book was extremely obvious, but that didn't detract from the story.
When he overhears a spoiled toff disparage his commander, Major Giles Butler can't let it slide, and fights a duel with the Duke of Cuttyngham. Never intending to harm the duke, let alone kill him, when he collapses dead at his feet, Giles needs to flee for the coast as soon as possible, and return to the 'safety' of Brussels, and his men. Fraught with guilt, he can't leave without passing on his condolences to the now dowager Duchess, and just manages to be her saviour when she attempts to flee the prison that once was her home. Rosamund, Duchess of Cuttyngham, has lived a life of hell under the control of her husband. She has never been able to do anything, let alone think for herself, and her cruel husband even turned her step children away from her. Meeting Giles is the first time Rosamund has felt anything other than pain in years, but can she truly love the man who made her a widow?
This book was alright, and I liked the chemistry between the FMC and MMC. I'm going to be honest in saying I wasn't sure how a widow could fall in love with her husband's killer, but there's a lot more to the story than what you see on paper. There's a full on mystery woven into the pages of the book, and Entangled has definitely set the stage for the rest of the series. Rosamund was a lovely FMC, and her relationship with her stepchildren was a plot line I really enjoyed, and hope is explored more in their own tales. The villain of this book was extremely obvious, but that didn't detract from the story.
Dates Read:
June 22-24, 2025
Rating
3 Stars
